Okay, so it really isn’t the end of the World as we know it, but I am almost positive (almost) that there is some strange force out there that wants to make all northerners believe that Spring is around the corner. I could have sworn that the apple’s in orchards were in full (okay, so that might of happened in my dream, so what), but the grass is green (kind of like a poopy green) but is it still grass. At the end of January! I have yet to pull out my winter coat and snow pants for the season. Spring is in the air people. Because of how nice the weather has been, the superstitious (me) are beginning to think that something bigger is in store for us besides the Good Old Northern Winter. Where are the negative degrees and the soothing sounds of scrappers on car windows?So, back to reality, we all know the world is not going to end, but if it did, how would it go. Because of the strange weather phenomenon, I can’t help but think that stranger things could happen. Enter Friday’s list:

The Most Spectacular (Or not) Ways the World as We Know It Could End

·The Second Flood

oOnly this time it is beer. It’s not the fact this time that people haven’t prepared for the flood because we in fact did listen to the main man building a ship, it is just that everyone was too drunk and forgot how to open the doors.

·Grokked Out of Existence

oThis is the eventual fate of Earth, if we can’t pull it together by the time the Martians decide what to do about us. Ever since realizing that we had reached the ability to travel through space, they’ve been trying to decide whether they actually want to have contact with us. But before they make decisions, Martians have to grokk all the variables involved. In this case: us. There could be some among us now…..

·FYI: To grok ( /ˈɡrɒk/) is to intimately and completely share the same reality or line of thinking with another physical or conceptual entity.

·Suspicious Buffet

oOkay, so each and everyone one of us loves food. Free food though? Free food comes close to comparing to Christmas Morning. People from the woodwork make an appearance wherever there is free food. Families, some families live for these offerings (Heck, I live for these). Not one person will deny free food and this is why, when the world opens the Free All You Can Eat Buffett, no one will think twice that this could mean the end of the world, but how sweet (or salty) it will be.

·Toilet Paper Extinction

oThere 50 people to one toilet stall in the nation (based on a very reliable Google search). This means that the end of the world is going to be very (very) messy. We will all be stuck sitting or squatting and waiting….and waiting….and waiting…..

·Zombie Apocalypse

oI mean, come on, there are already how-to movies and books on how to survive this, but there is always that one Zombie that stays alive because someone forgot to ‘Double Tap.’

·Snakes on a Plane

oHonestly, how many planes can Samuel L. Jackson be on at once

·The Stupid Epidemic

oThis may have already started to take over in some areas.

I am going to leave it there. There are many more, but I will leave that for you to fill in. J I hope your Friday treats you well. Only a couple more hours until the official start of the weekend and it can’t come soon enough. For those that have snow at the end of January, consider yourselves lucky. Those that don’t, beware. It may smell like the glorious smells of Spring, but someone is playing a cruel joke on all of us.

On a side note, I Just looked out the window and the outdoors is covered with snow (was it supposed to snow today?). Sorry friends, but this whole post is moot.

Before I start, I just wanted to let you all know that it has been a very busy (some might call it stressful) week. Tomorrow is Friday, and I am super pumped to have no plans this weekend. We all know that will change, but the outlook is no plans with a chance of relaxation. Booya! Because of how busy (okay, okay, stressful) my week has been, I do truly cherish the small things even more. Today, in the midst of chaos, I received a picture of my Pa playing with my niece on my old sled (who goes by the name Comet. The sled that is, not my niece). This, friends, made me smile so much that it was all that was needed to take on the rest of the day (Thanks Pa!) I was also notified by my friend (co-worker) that it was a free for all with Calendars in the School Store. 1. Free stuff is awesome 2. I have been looking for a calendar that I liked since the start of the New Year 3. Free stuff is awesome. I slowly walked over there (I ran) and picked out that one that was calling my name. Now this may not excite some of you, but it is things like this that I love. Getting an unexpected calendar that retails for $12.95 for the price of nothing is splendid. The true joy to this though, was the paragraph that was for the month of January. It went like this:

The Path to your Dreams….What’s it going to be like?

“It won’t always be easy, but there’s no better advice than this: just do your best. Make sure you stay strong enough to move ahead, because there are some wonderful rewards waiting for you. It won’t always make sense, but over the course of time, answers will come, decisions will prove to be the right ones, and the path will be easier to see. Here are some things you can do that will help to see you through…

You can have hope. Because it works wonder for those who have it. You can be optimistic. Because people who expect things to turn out for the best often set the stage to receive a beautiful result. You can put things in perspective. Because some things are important, and others are definitely not.

You can remember that beyond the clouds, the sun is still shining. You can meet each challenge and give it all you’ve got. You can count your blessings. You can be inspired to climb your ladders and have some nice, long talks with your wishing stars. You can be strong and patient. You can be gentle and wise.

And you can believe in happy endings. Because you are the author of the story of your life.”

These are the words that I get to read each day for the rest of the month. Thank you Douglas Pagels, whoever you are, for making the rest of my month that much better. Thank you Sara, for giving me the calendar that had these words in it, and thank you Pa, for sending me the picture that brought my first smile of the day!

Tomorrow is TGIF! Get your coffee mugs ready and your party pants on, because we are going to make tomorrow great!

Hi Friends. I know it seems like I don’t write that often anymore, which is the truth, but there is a very good reason (I think it is anyways, therefore it is so J) as to why I have been missing yet again from my Good Morning Posts. The reason is life. I don’t even know where to begin for you. We all know I love lists so I will make a list of things that have been going on in my life. I will ask you not to blame the happenstances that have taken me away from you, because they have been great and many and I love my life more because of them. Let us start out with Friday. Good ole’ Numero Uno.

1.Friday was a day filled with things that I just had to do for you to get the estimated Amusement Potential out of the activities. Don’t know what I am talking about, read Friday’s post. Prepare for complete awesomeness before you do. J After work, I went home, got my party pants on (umm, they were already on. I put a hat on. This was the only thing that changed my attire for going out) and looked as fabulous as ever (Thanks hat) and went out for a lovely evening with my awesome friend Sara. This was complete with a candlelight supper (Unplanned Candlelight) and Avenue Q (Planned laughter). The show was awesome, my husband was awesome, the company was even better and the tickets were free. Seriously, how could it get any better? Ah-ha, dear friends. This was just the start (Yes, just the very beginning) to an amazing weekend.

2.Saturday started off just how I like, complete with Coffee and Cartoon (and Cory and the cat also). What more could a gal ask for on a weekend morning. After that (and after making Cory clean a little) I waited for some of my very good friends to arrive from the Cities (The Twin Cities that is). Arrive they did. We went out and ate, drank, and were very merry! After the eats and drinks were done we headed to their hotel room for the night. What happened there you may ask (or may not). Well, what happened was a very delightful and surprising engagement. As a note to all men, you really can’t hide from a woman’s curiosity. We will usually get what we want. On a side note, if you want to keep something a secret a.) Don’t keep secret items in coat pockets and b.) Don’t mention to us that it is either nothing or a cool toy because we will want it that much more. Miss Felicity found the ring and you two are on your way to wedded bliss. It is not my story, but I am honored to be a part of it. Oh, what a Saturday. I don’t think I can ever repeat what happened Saturday. I saw an adorable proposal feet from me. The moods were light, the people were cheerful and there is something to say about friends who just make you feel so darn happy. The surprise engagement probably wasn’t supposed to include me, but I am so happy that I was there. To my friends who will live Happily Ever After, Congrats! I should probably be there for all special occasions. Where are we going on the honeymoon? I am prone to somewhere warm but am open for discussion.

3.Sunday was just as eventful. We perused around the great city of Duluth and then went back to the house for a good old Thanksgiving type of dinner. Now this may not seem important to you, but I must tell you that none of us have ever cooked a turkey before. Like ever. So what that we are in our Twenties, this just means we have great families who do this for us. Anyways, we teamed together (with my mom on speed dial) and cooked a turkey. FYI: we are pros because it came out delicious. This is quite a moment in a person's life when they cook a whole bird for the first time. I would take a bow, but I already did in the mirror that night and I don’t want to get too high headed. The evening ended with cheers galore, friendly faces, and a game that brought tears of laughter to all parties involved. I am so lucky to have such great friends and family and it is moments like these that humble me to the core. Thank you everyone for making me that much better of a person.

4.Monday

5.Tuesday

6.Today

The rest of the week went by in a blur, but I haven’t forgotten to be thankful for the small things. My days go by fast and my nights faster but I wake up knowing that I have a job to go to and I go to bed in my warm house with the one I love and dream of cows jumping over the moon. I will keep telling you that no matter how busy you get, stop and realize how lucky you have it and make each and every moment count!

It has finally arrived. The day of the week that almost feels like a holiday is around the corner because people are wearing jeans to work, listening to music louder than usual, talking about where to go to lunch and lazily walking around the office because it is Friday, and no one cares how much work they really get done. It is a day where people sneak out early. Anything goes. Ahh Friday, how I have missed you.

The day could only get better if there was a little more warmth in the air. With a high of -13 Degrees, chilliness is in the air. Between staying in the warm house and leaving to go somewhere in the arctic tundra, I choose the indoors (which I usually don’t do). But alas, I did have to go to work this morning and despite the weather, my coffee stayed warm as always (I also got just a bit of satisfaction by making Cory get up and drive me in the cold on his day off. Oh the small things that shouldn’t make me smile but they always do). It is on this cold morning though that I am wishing I had my slippers and pajamas still on with a hot cup of coffee in my hands (at least I still have the coffee). It is on this day that I am thinking there must be better things to do inside than go outside and have your eyelids freeze shut (Ouch. I literally just pictured that in my head and am wondering why I choose that analogy). So behold the list of today:

Things to do Inside when it’s too Cold to go Outside:

·Blink wildly and then close your eyes really tight for an interesting light show

o(Amusement Potential: 1-5 minutes)

·Try to not think about penguins

o(Amusement Potential: 1-5 minutes)

This is especially hard, because by trying too much, you remember what you were trying to avoid thinking of. If you try too little, you end up thinking about penguins anyway.

·Use your secret mind power

o(Amusement Potential: 5-10 minutes)

Pick a passerby and try to use your mind power to command them do something, like drop their bag or knock into someone. The law of averages dictates that sooner or later one of your mind commands will come true, so you can convince yourself that you really have super human powers and waste even more time trying them out.

·Repeat the same word over and over until it loses its meaning

o(Amusement Potential: 1-3 minutes)

Pick a random word out of a magazine and say it aloud to yourself until it becomes a meaningless set of noises.

·Try to swallow your tongue

o(Amusement Potential: 1-2 minutes)

There's not much to say about this one. It is possible, but really stupid.

·Invent a weird twitch

o(Amusement Potential: 5-10 minutes)

Adopt a bizarre twitch (e.g. flicking your head irregularly, twitching with eye or busting out sporadic cough noises) and try it out when you go shopping.

·Make a low buzzing noise

o(Amusement Potential: 15-30 minutes)

Hours of fun in libraries! Keeping a totally straight face and looking nonchalant, make a low pitch humming/buzzing noise and see who reacts. Also works on mother-in-laws.

·Watch TV, repeat everything said in Italian accent(Umm, is it weird if I already do this?)

o(Amusement Potential: 5-10 minutes)

·Pretend all humans will die except for people in room with you

oAmusement Potential: 10-20 minutes)

What would you do if this really happened? Would the group stay together, or would there be factions? Who would join what group? Remember, there would only be power for a few days before the plants ran out of fuel or broke. Best to do with people you know.

·Have a water gargling contest

o(Amusement Potential: 5-10 minutes)

Put a glassful of water in your mouth and see how long you can keep gargling for. Award yourself extra points for loud and amusing gargling noises, and minus points if you laugh.

·Pick up a dog or cat so it can see things from your point of view

o(Amusement Potential: 3-5 minutes)

Think about it: your dog or cat has only seen the house from a viewpoint from 6" to 2' high (15 to 60 cm for all you metric fans). It's never seen the tops of counters, what you keep on your desk, the tops of shelves, etc. Try looking at things from its point of view, too.

·Pour water in hand, make sneeze noise, throw water on back of person's neck

o(Amusement Potential: 5-15 minutes)

Always a good gag. For an even bigger reaction out of the person, act like you're not sorry at all for what they think you did. Comment instead on how big that sneeze was or about how there was a lot of mucus in that one.

·Take your fish outside and leave them there

o(Amusement Potential: Depends on how cold it is that day)

Seriously, how fun would this be? Fish really are pointless pets and they are also cheap. I’m not the first one who thought of this.

There you have it. Boredom solved. J Tonight, my friends, I will be getting back in touch with my childish way (Yes, more than usual) and go to a play complete with puppets and songs. What more could a girl ask for. I will see all of you on Avenue Q (which is the play I am going to go see.)

Until Saturday morning, go forth and have fun. It is Fantastic Friday for Fun!

Well, hello there. We meet again so soon. I have realized that my wanting to post everyday might not always come true. It’s weird when busy sneaks up on you and you seem to have less time for the joys of life (Less time makes the joys that much more..well enjoyable). After re-capping what I wrote yesterday, I felt like I left some things out and that if you read me daily, I also lied to you a little bit. I do apologize for this, but I promise you that it was unintentional. First off, I did say that I was going to post pictures this past weekend and make my blog spread its wings a little by adding that factor in. Obviously, this didn’t happen. What you may have noticed though was the changes that my blog undertook this weekend. It received an allover facelift, free of charge, thanks to my technological advanced husband. I felt I needed more of a ‘bam’ factor and he made it happen.So, yes I did lie to you because no pictures have been posted (yet), but change is good and my new look helps my writing look more elegant (That is what I am telling myself anyways). Under the “read me” section, you may have noticed a couple extra pages: Home (which is where you are at now), Wonder of Words, Picture This!, and List of Awesome. Let me break these down for you.

Home: As I mentioned, this is where you are at now. I believe this is self-explainable.

Wonder of Words: As some of you know (and some of you don’t know), my biggest hobby is reading, I love to read and enjoy every moment of it (even though it’s not so nice on my bank account). To me, it is comforting and it moves you in between realms of fantasy and reality. (As a side note, this is also why I have a B.A. in English. If only I would have realized reading can get you so far in the real world.) Reading is like an amusement park for me (well, besides the actual amusement parks themselves). It is exciting, thrilling, and you never know which way it is going to turn. It is in this section that I am going to write reviews of all the books I read (Don’t worry, to rule out the awkwardness, I will not be reviewing my trashy Romance Novels that I am embarrassed to even admit that I read). Hopefully my reviews will help you make your next book purchase. So this New attraction is Coming Soon! (Sorry, I had to.)

Picture This!: This is where I will post the pictures that I have been talking about (that have not made an appearance yet). They will be pictures of the small joys of life. Pictures that will make you smile for at least a second in your busy day (I will try to limit cat pictures to the bare minimum). Happy, sad, funny, exciting, Anything goes. J Hopefully, when I get more than 7 readers(wait…I believe I have 8 now! Thanks P!), they will start sending me pictures that make them smile throughout the day and we can share all of our joys in life and make each other smile.

List of Awesome: This page is probably done. Further on in my life, I might have to revamp it depending on how close I am coming to my goals, but this is my 30/30 list that I will update as I complete them. (Cool, Huh? J) Stayed tuned!

Well, there you have it. The rundown of the changes you are seeing. I hope you all are as excited as I am. Let’s raise our coffee mugs up and cheers to changes, because change can be pleasant (and fun!). Muhammad Gandhi said it best when he said “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” Embrace this.

The art of being friendly. I believe this is a great Wednesday Morning (Wait..What? It’s already Wednesday?!) to talk about this art that many seem to forget that they have. First off, yes, I do believe that there is kindness in everyone. Some may call this naïve, but I believe that each and every one of us has a touch of compassion and friendliness in us. If this makes me naïve, so be it.J The first step we have to take is to find out what level your friendliness is. Do you A.) Avoid eye contact at all measures. (This makes riding in an elevator with reflective doors with one other stranger even that more awkward). Or do you B.) Make friends in line while getting a Cup of Joe and get the ‘Man, I wish she would just be quite’ looks? No matter what kind of person you are, one thing is for certain, we can all make someone’s day by doing the simple art of being friendly. Let’s take a step together and do this a little more often (I promise, this is not a rehab step system).

Step one: Say Hello. Some people may look at you with annoyance because they don’t know you, don’t know if they should know you, and quite frankly, they don’t care that you said hello. Some people might not even say it back, but more often than not, you will get a smile and a “Hello” back. You might even get a Hello that deserves an exclamation point. I am not implying that you should strike up a conversation about how you dress up your cat for special occasions and take pictures (I promise, I do not do this…..yet). I am simply telling you to speak to people. It’s is not as scary as some of you might think and if a simple “Hello” is heard, it just might be contagious. Spread the good mornings on!

Step Two: Hold open doors. Yes, we all know how important it is for you to get in line before anyone else and how the extra 3 seconds of your life is wasted by holding the door open for Grandma and Grandpa, but realistically, holding the door open for someone will bring happiness to you and the people behind you that you let ahead (You might even enjoy it..Gasp!). And yes, we all know how much of a rush it is by sneaking in when someone else is holding the door and taking bets in your head if you are going to make it or not, but next time stop and offer to take their place. It is a simple act that is appreciated by all parties. Just hold the door open, people!

Step Three: Courtesy. Prepare yourselves because this also has to deal with speaking to people. I think we might all forget the phrases or courtesy: Please, Thank You, Excuse Me, You’re Welcome, and so on. Why is it that “bromance’ was added to the dictionary this past year but the phrases that have been around forever seem to have been forgotten? Say thank you, even if it is for something small. Appreciate people and how language in itself is a simple thing that can make someone’s day.

Wouldn’t the world be a sweeter place if we all took the time to recognize what is being forgotten and overlooked? Never forget that it is the simple things that makes it all worthwhile and our actions and words can make someone else’s day all the more worthwhile. Don’t lose the art of friendliness because it is through these simple things that can bring a smile to a strangers (or friends) face.

Go Forth, Friends. Hold open those doors and help the Art of Being Friendly strive on!

Hello again. It is getting to be that time in the week where my energy is fading and the weekend seems like it can’t come soon enough! A little more coffee should put me back on track and then I should be at the same level as a kitten on a sugar high (wait a minute; I don’t think kittens should eat sugar. Maybe catnip is more feline friendly.) It is once again Friday (Honestly, where does the time go?) and I feel this weekend is well deserved. A busy week at work makes the weekend that much more glorious.

My mind, on the other hand, thought that the weekend should start today, because I woke up in a bustle as I realized that there is no way I am going to be on time this wonderful Friday Morning. Well technology, in your face! (All facts considered, my alarm clock did go off at the right time. My grandfather clock also did chime at the right time, so really it was a fight against me, not technology.) Maybe I should switch that to, in your face, Em! I beat all odds and was right on time for work. Phew! I even look presentable…. I think. I am sitting at my desk with a huge smile on my face that probably makes me look mental, but I don’t care. I beat my own odds and made it to work on time and it is going to be a wonderful day. I know that a lot of people who wake up late say that being late makes the day start off bad. I think of it as a rush. It is like a workout and a wakeup call all at the same time.

We all wake up late and I believe that each and everyone one of us goes over the excuses in our heads. Should we tell the truth or should we make it sound like it was something we couldn’t avoid? Should my tire be flat today or was there a catastrophe that I just couldn’t leave my house? Either way, we all want work to know that we in fact woke up in time (not), but because of the strange happenstances, we were late. This got me thinking that is might be nice to have a list of excuses made up prior to this happening. Instead of going over excuses in your head, we can just randomly point, call, and be late for work. Next time you wake up in a hurry and realize you will be late, take a look at my list and rest easy, for these excuses are some of the best:

3. I walked into a spider web on the way out the door and couldn't find the spider, so I had to go inside and shower again.

4. Someone stole all my daffodils.

5. My left turn signal was out so I had to make all right turns to get to work.

6. A gurney fell out of an ambulance and delayed traffic.

7. I was attacked by a raccoon and had to stop by the hospital to make sure it wasn't rabid.

8. I feel like I'm in everyone's way if I show up on time.

9. I was trying to get my gun back from the police

10. A groundhog bit my bike tire and made it flat.

11. My driveway washed away in the rain last night.

12. I didn't have money for gas because all of the pawn shops were closed.

13. My neighbor's daughter got a round hair brush stuck in her hair and I need to help her get it out.

14. Can't make it in. I have a chance of filling in for someone on jury duty.

15. The blankets were too heavy for me to lift so I was stuck in bed all day.

16. Do you know how long it takes to give a dollar to every Santa you see? (This only works in December)

17. I was in a meeting. ..... What, you weren't invited? That's messed up.

18. I'm still too drunk from last night to drive to work.

___________________________________________________

To you friends I would like to say, Good Friday Morning! Wake up, go to work (or not), drink some (or a lot) of coffee, and feel good that it is Friday! You will never be as lovely as you are right now and you will do wonderful things. I just know it! TGIF Friends and once again, don’t forget to enjoy every moment!

Monday Monday. You always seem to come so soon. Some might resent you for your name and what Monday represents. I promise that I won’t hold it against you. To me, Monday is a day where I wake up, put on my big girl pants and go back to a job I love. It also is a day to think back and relive the epic weekend when the Monday Morning blues do hit. Monday is a day not to dread but to seize.

Seize the day, friends. Seize the day.

I am going to switch topics for a moment and happily share with you a very epic moment in my life that happened this weekend. On Saturday, two of my favorite people came with me and helped me cross off the very first thing on my 30/30 list! Yes, I did make mention of it on Saturday and I hope you are all as excited as I am. What did I cross off? I crossed off getting a tattoo (or two) off of my list. I made the list so I can accomplish things that I maybe wouldn’t have otherwise, and by getting two (yes two) tattoos, it made me that much more determined to do each and every thing on that list and love every moment of it. By completing this one simple thing, I now can’t wait to see what is going to be next. I am going to live every moment of my life ahead to the fullest. Pictures of the tattoo? It’s funny you should ask. Hopefully this weekend, I will have pictures posted on my blog. I am going to create somewhat of a new segment and post what I am going to call “A Dose of Delight.” (I might change the name. still playing around with the title. Any Ideas?) These pictures are going to be small glimpses of my life (and hopefully yours) and the simple things in life that make me happy. So not only will I be posting well posts, I will be sharing photographs of all the simple things that make life great. Crossing the first thing off on my 30/30 list will be first!

Once I get the new segments up and going, I would love (Literally, I would Love it if you send me pictures. Literally.) pictures from you all and what simple things in life make it all worthwhile to you. I would love to share more joy and spread those small pieces of bliss to all those who forget about how breathtaking life can be.

We can’t always look at the bad side of things. When you have a No Good Very Bad Day, get over it. Take a deep breath and relax. Life goes on. We all should really live like there is no tomorrow. We all should remember that life is precious. Tell those whom you love that you love them. Smile at strangers. Dream Big. Spread the joy that is your life and make your life joyful. Wear your happy shoes and dance to the tune of life. I may be overdoing the clichés, but I honestly want each and every one of you to be thankful for life and be thankful for each and every moment. Look around. We all are blessed in so many ways that it is hard for me to not be happy.

Carpe Diem!

Well friends, as I sink down into the comfort of home and finish my last drink of tea, I want to wish each and every one of you sweet dreams. I will meet you in dreamland.

When you wish upon a starMakes no difference who you areAnything your heart desiresWill come to you

If your heart is in your dreamNo request is too extremeWhen you wish upon a starAs dreamers do

Fate is kind She brings to those to love The sweet fullfillment of Their secret longing

Like a bolt out of the blueFate steps in and sees you throughWhen you wish upon a starYour dreams come true

We again meet on a peaceful note as sleep slowly slinks into the background of the morning and the coffee is being poured to make us feel more awake then we should be (Well, for some of us. My sister informed me that I am at a level ten for excitement this morning and I should be at a level four). Today, I feel, is the perfect day to talk about dreams. The dream world gives us thoughts and sensations that are spontaneous and involuntary and amazing (Besides those few bad dreams). With dreams, anything really is possible.

We all have good dreams, awesome dreams, dreams that can happen, dreams where we fly, dreams that we don’t remember, and dreams we don’t want to repeat. The fact of the matter is that dreams are remarkable. People make a living studying the real meanings of dreams. Me? I know that dreams are something unlike any other and it makes the dreamers in us soar. (Soar away people, soar away.) Real or not real, we can achieve anything. Last night, I saved my cat Elvis from eternal doom by rescuing him from a rabid skunk. Honestly, who says I couldn’t do that in real life. My sister had a dream about a magical coat that we are going in search of today, and Cory hung out with Tosh.O (who kept calling himself theTopBanana). Ahh, dreams, how I smile at thee.

The dream world is an escape for all of us and it is a world I don’t want to be without. Next time you have a dream, I hope you wake up smiling and relive the dream world. Help me save my cat from eternal doom and we can fly away together in our Barbie Jeep. Who knows, dreams may come true. J

What dreams may come is unknown, but never forget the dreamer inside waiting to soar. Anything is imaginable; we just have to dream it. Dream on Friends, I know I will.

TGIF Friends! It is once again a wonderful winter day that feels like Spring. No joke here people. 40 Degrees in January? What is going on?! Don’t get me wrong, I am not complaining. The salt rings on pants and shoes will be coming soon enough, but for right now, I will take the no socks weather. This week has been a blur with Charming Friend Days to pass the time. Thank you, Friends, for making this week all the better. You have helped me become Defender of Catan (In your face! Wait a minute, I am supposed to be the good sport here. ….Better luck next time?), because of you, my following doubled, you have helped me on my way to become THE James Bond guru (You know who you are!), have danced with me in an empty bar (with your crazy hair and all), and have made my home that much better with all of your company. Life is grand when you have Grand friends (You go Grandfriend!) I will miss you all and come back again soon.

To top it off, tomorrow I will be able to cross the first thing off on my 30/30 list. Which number am I going to cross off? Stayed tuned. J

As I mentioned, today is Friday so it is another List Day brought to you for your enjoyment. These are things that make you go hmmm (Some call this list Food for Thought). Some of them are valid questions that I would like to know the answer to. Others can be explained but still give you something to think about. You should always be questioning your surroundings anyway, so here's a chance for you to articulate those questions. By the way, if you have the answers, please let me know. I am always in the mood for some enlightening.

______________________________________________________

Food for Thought

Why do we say something is out of whack? What is a whack?

Why is the man who invests all your money called a broker?

Why is a person who plays the piano called a pianist, but a person who drives a race car not called a racist?

Why are a wise man and a wise guy opposites?

Do Roman paramedics refer to IV's as "4's"?

Why is it that if someone tells you that there are 1 billion stars in the universe you will believe them, but if they tell you a wall has wet paint you will have to touch it to be sure?

Why do you park in a driveway and drive in a parkway?

Why are there braille dots on a drive-through ATM keypad?

Why do doctors call what they do practice? Shouldn't they be good at it by now?

When someone says "You know what they say..." Who are they?

If you throw a cat out your car window does it become kitty litter?

If corn oil comes from corn and olive oil comes from olives, where the heck does baby oil come from?

If you spin an oriental man, does he become disoriented?

Why do we call it a hamburger when it is made from beef?

If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn?

If you're in France and you order toast, do you get toast or French toast?

Why is the alphabet in that order? Is it because of that song?

If the #2 pencil is the most popular, why is it still #2?

Is there another word for synonym?

Why do Kamikaze pilots wear helmets?

If a turtle loses its shell is it naked or homeless?

If you hate all prejudice people, are you a hypocrite?

Why do they call them apartments, when they're all together?

Who was the idiot that decided to put an "s" in the word lisp?

You can be overwhelmed and underwhelmed, but why can't you be simply whelmed?

Why is it that when the batteries in your remote control wear out you just push the buttons harder?

If you try to fail, and you fail, have you succeeded or failed?

If quizzes are quizzical then what are tests?

Why do they sterilize the needles for lethal injections?

When it rains, why don't sheep shrink?

Do cemetery workers prefer the graveyard shift?

Why do banks charge you an "insufficient funds" fee on money they already know you don't have?

What happens if you get scared half to death twice?

How is it possible to have a civil war?

Could crop circles be the work of a cereal killer?

If a word in the dictionary were misspelled, how would we know?

Why do tourists go to the tops of tall buildings and then put money into telescopes so they can see things on the ground close-up?

Why is it that you must wait until night to call it a day?

If hunting season means you can kill animals, and fishing season means you can catch fish, what is the tourist season?

How come we choose from just two people for president and 50 for Miss America?

Where in the nursery rhyme does it say Humpty Dumpty is an egg?

Does expecting the unexpected make the unexpected expected?

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There you have it. Your own Food for Thought. JEnjoy this Friday, because you won’t have another one that is the same. Be Good (but not too good), Be Happy (Overindulge on this), and Enjoy Every Moment (for each moment is yours for the taking).

First of all, I apologize for the hiatus that I have been on. I promise that will not happen again. Probably. Second of all, I don’t want to admit how long it took me to figure out how to spell hiatus (who would have thought it is spelled exactly how it sounds. Thanks English Degree. You should have had my back on this one. ) Thirdly, I will let you know why I have been MIA lately.

The past three (four?) days, (I am not really sure what day it is even) I closed myself out from the world and had one of the geekiest (is that a word Mr. English Degree?) weekends I think I will probably have (Geeks Unite.) I am almost embarrassed about letting you all in as to what I have been doing (Almost.) For Christmas (Yes, I am going back again), Cory asked me for one thing and that one thing was to try out a computer game that he really likes. Okay, so this computer game is more like a role playing game complete with wizards, horses, cats, awesome clothes and battles (he will probably not like that I made it sound so girly.) It is a very manly game (there you go, Dear) and I thought it was stupid he spent so much time on that instead of hanging out with me (Obviously, nothing is as great as hanging out with me). Big mistake on my part. I am not nearly as cool as my Wizard Avatar. Long story short, I rang in this delightful New Year defeating trolls in Wizard City. The feeling of escaping into a whole new world and not knowing anyone is almost as good as the game itself. It is relaxing to not have to worry about anything for a couple hours (okay, eight hours) and delight in the enchanted world that you make your own. It is like fairytales are coming to life and I am the Narrator. Whether it is a computer game or a book or even just sitting and talking (to someone else. If you talk to yourself, you might need to get some more friends. Human friends.), stealing a few hours a day for yourself is one of the great things in life. Take them every day for they are your own!

On a side note, I also rang in the New Year playing Nintendo on a six foot screen with some friends which led into a full day of board games. Call me a Geek, because I am one and I am proud of it.